The Portland Trailblazers Cannot Win it All with Both Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum

The Pelicans swept the Trailblazers out of the playoffs on Saturday night. Now, I picked the Pelicans to win, but not in the way they did. They absolutely owned the Blazers. No game was close except the first. Anthony Davis did whatever he wanted to whoever he wanted. Jrue Holiday was dominant on both ends of the floor. Nikola Mirotic was raining threes and even playing a little defense. Hell, even their bench was solid. The Pelicans dominated.

And, as someone who picked them, I am still a little shocked at how badly the Blazers got beat. I like both these teams, but I expected more of a fight from Portland. I’m a big time fan of Damian Lillard’s, but he was so bad in this series. I’ve come around on CJ McCollum, but he was nowhere to be found. Jusuf Nurkic looked like he could be there third guy, but Davis abused him in the series. In fact, the only guy that did anything for Portland was Mo Harkless, and no disrespect to him, but you aren’t going to win any playoff games when he’s your best guy. Also, imagine if Boogie Cousins was healthy and in this series. It would’ve been an even bigger blowout. It would have gotten even uglier.

Since the sweep, I’ve heard a lot of grumblings about player development, poor coaching and needing a deeper bench. But, the one thing I keep hearing, thinking about and agreeing with, I think the Blazers have done all they can with a backcourt of McCollum and Lillard. I like both these guys as individual players, but they each have flaws, and when teamed up, those flaws are glaring. Neither is very good at defense, and it showed in this series. Holiday cooked them. E’twaun Moore smoked them. Pretty much any guard the Pelicans put out there, they succeeded offensively. Also, Lillard is “the guy” in Portland, but I don’t think CJ McCollum has bought into that yet. He’s a great scorer, but Lillard is better. Lillard can beat you multiple ways, but he’s not getting his full shot because McCollum needs looks too. And, when McCollum isn’t hitting shots, that puts the onus on Lillard to do so much more than he should have to be.

After watching most of those games, I agree that they need to pick one guy. They need to pick Lillard. He’s been there longer and he’s actually won playoff series. He’s made big shots. He seems to genuinely enjoy Portland. McCollum is a great offensive player, but I don’t think he’s ready to be “the guy”. He’s so much better as a second option. He’s much more lethal in that situation. I don’t think you can win a title with McCollum as your number one guy. I do think you can win with Lillard as the number one option.

The question that follows, what can the Blazers get for McCollum, and also would help right now? I’m sure they can get a high draft pick, but is that what they want? I’m sure a team like Dallas or Memphis or maybe even the Knicks would give up their pick for him, but there’s nothing much that they could add that would sweeten the pot. Sure, the Grizzlies could offer a pick and maybe Marc Gasol, but I’d rather have Nurkic right now. The Knicks have nothing of real value except Porzingis or Frank Ntilikina, and I don’t see them giving up either of them for McCollum. Dallas makes the most sense, but is Harrison Barnes really an upgrade? I don’t think so. They will have a high pick, but they offer nothing else of real value in a veteran player. The best fits and trade partners would be an already established team.

I’d love to see McCollum go to a team like the Spurs. Trade him straight up for Kawhi Leonard, and I think both teams benefit. Or, what about a team like Minnesota? They’ll have a mid teen pick, then add Andrew Wiggins, I think that would be great. Another option could be the team that just throttled them, the Pelicans. I’d trade anyone and their pick to get McCollum, with three exceptions. Those three, Davis, Holiday and Cousins. Everyone else I would make available. Put McCollum back there with Holiday and a front court of Cousins and Davis, they would be one hell of a team.

This first round series showed me that the Blazers need to trade one of these guys if they want to achieve any real success, and I think that person should be CJ McCollum. He’s had a good run, but Lillard needs to be the focal point once again. That is how the Blazers will get back to being real threats.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing, the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast, and the greatest basketball writer on all the internet.

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Ty Tells You How each NBA Team Can Win the Title: Rockets, Trailblazers, and the Jazz

Day 7 of my NBA countdown has us finally getting to the top 10. It will be team number 10, but we are on our way to the elite. The best of the best. What separates the teams from being elite today are any number of things. Some don't think defense is important. Others are a bit too young, and don't have the necessary experience to go any further than round 2. Some are just one or two players away from being truly competitive. These teams are good, and may make some noise, but none will go any further than round 2 of the playoffs this year. Here we go.

At number 12, I have the Houston Rockets. Man, did this team underachieve last year. They were a year removed from the West finals, and they went out of the playoffs last year with barely a whimper. They did finally get rid of Dwight Howard, but I don't think he was the sole problem. This team does not care about defense at all, and it all starts with their star player, James Harden. Harden is one of the best scorers in the league right now. He can make shots from anywhere. He is deadly from down town. He gets to the free throw line regularly and he will always have the ball in his hands. The problem, he simply thinks that defense is optional. Harden is a horrendous defender. He doesn't even try, which makes it worse. Sure, he can go for 30 any given night, but the guy he is guarding is just as capable of putting up 30. The hiring of Mike Dantoni won't help out his, or the team's defense for that matter. Dantoni is an offensive wizard, but he, much like Harden, thinks defense is optional. This team will score a ton, but they will give up a ton of points too. There are some other decent pieces on this roster. Patrick Beverly is a pesky defender and okay point guard. He may be the only guy on this team that tries on the defensive end. But, when you have Harden as your point guard, having Beverly is kind of pointless. He won't do all that much for the Rockets this year, except annoy their opponents. The Donatas Montejunas hype is over. He is never healthy. He can't score like projected, and he, like most of the roster, could care less about stopping his man. Montejunas is kind of a waste. They signed Ryan Anderson and Eric Gordon this offseason. Both are good offensive players. Anderson is a great shooter, but he is just as bad on defense as Harden is. Gordon, when healthy, is a very good, all star caliber player, but he can't stay healthy, and he too thinks defense is optional. They signed Nene, who will bring some toughness to this team, but he looked a step slow in the Olympics. Montrez Harrell will try and take the Nene slack, but he is very inconsistent. Trevor Ariza is a good shooter, but he has lost a step or two, and he doesn't attack like the rim like he used to. He also plays no defense. Clint Capela is the new big man, with Howard gone, but I don't think he is ready to be a starter in the NBA just yet. This team is going to score a ton of points. They may average between 115 and 120 points per game. But, they will give up 110 to 115 points a game. That will net them 43 or 44 wins, but no more. Unfortunately for the Rockets, defense is a very important thing in the NBA.

So Ty, how will the Rockets win the title? The Rockets could win the title if they average about 140 points per game. The only way they can win is if they outscore every other team. That will not happen.

At number 11, I have the Portland Trailblazers. This team surprised everyone last year, including me. They were supposed to be rebuilding, yet they made the second round last year. Damien Lillard is one of the 10 best players in the league. He is clutch, can score from anywhere and is the man on this team. He could be a little better on defense, but man oh man is he elite on offense. CJ McCollum is about to become a perennial all star. He is a great, clutch shooter as well. He also has a very calming demeanor. He is never flustered and plays well within his limitations. This is one of the better backcourts in all the NBA. Allen Crabbe proved to be a decent shooter and a good defender last year. Who knew. Meyers Leonard has been a waste. He is too big and talented to be this mediocre, but he is just average. He also gets hurt way too often. I did not like the Evan Turner signing, but I don't think it will hurt them. He is an okay player, but when you have Lillard and McCollum, I see no reason for Turner. Al Faroq-Aminnu has proven that he is a good enough scorer and defender. He stretches the floor and plays heady defense. Maurice Harkless seemingly came out of nowhere to be a pretty reliable player last year. He doesn't do one thing exceptional, but he seems to do everything pretty well. He's a good basketball player. Mason Plumlee is an average big man, They have a big discrepancy when it comes to big men. Noah Vonleh has also been relegated to bench duties. The lack of a true big will hurt them. This team is so much better than anyone thought they would be. They will continue to win between 44 and 47 games because they have an excellent back court. I love Damien Lillard and CJ McCollum.

So Ty, how will the Blazers win the title? The Blazers will win the title if, much like their first round series last year, every team they run into in the playoffs has a star player get injured. They won't get lucky like that again, but this team is good. Don't sleep on the Trailblazers.

At number 10, I have the Utah Jazz. I know that I have them in my top ten, but I'm not as high as some other people are on them. I think they will be good, but they will go no further than the first round this year. But, they do play some incredibly good defense. I love teams that play good defense. Gordon Hayward is a good NBA player, but I don't think he is as good as others. Some people seem to think he is all star caliber, I don't. I think he is a fine NBA player. He can get you 16 points a night, and he will play some good defense. I do however love Rudy Gobert. He is an excellent big man. His offensive game is coming along quite nicely and he is already a great rim protector and rebounder. Gobert is an all star caliber player. I also really like Derrick Favors. He doesn't jump off the page, but he is consistent and reliable. He is a good low post player. Getting George Hill will be huge for this team. He is a solid point guard and he does everything the right way. This was a great pick up. I also like the addition of Boris Diaw. Sure, he is older and looks a bit out of shape, but he will make open shots and he will find the open man. He is an excellent passer. Joe Johnson was a fine addition too. He doesn't play much defense, but he will be instant offense for a team that needs some instant offense. Alec Burks is a good young player, he is just a but inconsistent. He can fix that. Trey Lyles seems to be coming along just fine. He is a big that can go inside and out. He needs some more time, he is very young, but he looks like he will be a solid NBA player. Rodney Hood has gotten better every year, and I think now is his chance to break through. He's a good shooter and a good defender. This Jazz team is good, and they are on their way back to being a regular in the playoffs. They will win 46 or 47 games this year, about good enough for the 5 or 6 seed.

So Ty, how will the Jazz win the title? The Jazz can win the title if they, much like the Blazers, strike injury luck with their opponents and a star gets hurt on every team they face. They also need Hayward to be more assertive and Gobert's offensive game to drastically improve. They aren't there yet, but they are going to be good for awhile if they all stick together.

That's it for today, come back next week when it is all elite teams that all have a legitimate shot at the title.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. The Head Editor can not get behind the Jazz and Quinn Snyder's pass the ball thirty times and miss a three type of offense. Hey, Ty knows more about these things. Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

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